The latest on California politics and government

June 15, 2011

The state political watchdog agency has asked a bankruptcy court to ensure former Republican Assemblyman Mike Briggs pays up on more than $40,000 in outstanding fines.

The Fresno Bee reports:

Briggs, a local Republican who also served a term on the Fresno City Council in the 1990s, in February filed for bankruptcy in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Fresno. His petition lists $418,825 in assets, and more than $1.4 million in liabilities.

The money owed to the state's Fair Political Practices Commission, however, is listed as an "unsecured nonpriority claim." Last week, the agency filed a complaint in bankruptcy court asking that the debt be made "non-dischargeable."

In December 2009, the Fair Political Practices Commission recommended a $34,000 fine against Briggs, his campaign, and campaign treasurer Sharron Nisbett for violations related to his unsuccessful 2004 bid for the state Assembly.

Earlier this year, the agency tacked on an additional $9,500 in fines related to Briggs' failed Fresno City Council bid last year.

To date, the agency noted in its court papers, Briggs has paid none of the fines. The agency claims that under federal bankruptcy code, "penalties imposed by the Commission, a state agency, are nondischargeable."